Daniil Medvedev eliminated Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets after he reached the semifinals of Indian Wells. In the early rounds, Alcaraz faced a scare against the Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech. He described how it felt to play “Roger Federer” in every match after the game. Reflecting on this sentiment, Rafael Nadal’s uncle and former coach, Toni Nadal, gave his perspective on the fellow Spaniard’s statement.

“I think Carlos was more tired, with less spark than on other occasions, and, indeed, Medvedev played very well, at a very high level. Obviously, if Carlos plays well, he is always the favorite. I do not agree at all. It’s not a matter of a target in the back. When you play with someone better than you, you know that you have to hurry up the shots more,” Toni said.

According to the 65-year-old, he doesn’t agree with the “Alcaraz effect.” Rather, he observed that the Spaniard was exhausted before he reached the semifinals. Alcaraz had a packed schedule throughout this year, winning two titles, the Australian Open and the Dubai Championships. On the other hand, Medvedev did everything right to beat the top seed.

“When you go out to play, you are clear that you have to risk a little more. Not because he is Alcaraz, but because the other knows that Alcaraz is better. Surely Medvedev would prefer to play with another and not with Alcaraz or Sinner, but he knows that if he plays with these, he has to squeeze more,” Toni explained.

The coach generalized Alcaraz’s belief that opponents raise their level against him. He argued that when lower-ranked players have nothing to lose and everything to gain, they turn into a dangerous opponent against any top-ranked player. He noted that opponents are not specifically raising their levels to challenge Alcaraz, but simply doing what any smart competitor would do against top players.

Carlos Alcaraz has won three out of the last five Grand Slams and has been a constant member of the top 3 since 2022. Reaching the top and maintaining consistency for years is another struggle elite players go through in their careers. Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer experienced this throughout their entire careers. That was what Rafael Nadal based his whole game on: resisting it. Alcaraz is learning that being the favorite means winning matches even when opponents have thrown out the safety net.

Before heading to the second phase of the Sunshine Double, the seven-time Grand Slam champion expressed his disbelief at Medvedev’s level against him in the semifinals.

Carlos Alcaraz gives Daniil Medvedev his due after Indian Wells exit.

The former world No. 1 outlasted the top seed for the third time in their nine meetings at the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open. The two-time champion was the obvious favorite before heading into the match, but Daniil Medvedev changed the script.

The Russian has found his lost rhythm from the start of the year, having won two titles already. The Spaniard showed resilience in the second set, stretching into the tie-breaker, but it was not enough at the end. In the post-match conference, Alcaraz gave his assessment of what Medvedev produced that evening.

“First of all, I just have to give credit to Daniil. I think he just played an amazing match. From the start of the match until the end of the match, you know, the match he was playing was unreal, I have to say. I have never seen, to be honest, Daniil playing like this,” Alcaraz said.

“He deserves the win completely today. He completely deserves to get through and play a final here. All I can say is just congratulations to him,” he added.

There was no avoiding it, no justification. The Spaniard acknowledged that the Russian had simply been better on the day and that it was deserved.

However, Alcaraz did point out the instances that hurt him. The first set, with a few loose service games early on, established the theme. And thereafter, he was always chasing the match rather than being in control of it.

“From my side, I just played a few games, mostly in the first set, where I just let go of my serve game, and part of that was that I was just running all the time against him. So it was tough for me, but, you know, I’m just proud to see that I just fought until the last ball,” the top seed stated.

The disappointment was real, but Alcaraz managed to find a silver lining. The feeling he had expressed after Rinderknech’s match, that his opponents raised the level against him, was a concern to him at that point. However, he has now turned that concern into praise.

“I’m just a little bit disappointed right now. But at the same time, I have to see the good things about this loss. It is about the people and the players thinking that they need to play at this level if they want to beat me. So at some point it’s going to [go in] my favor in some ways,” Alcaraz concluded.

Before entering the clay season, the two-time Roland Garros winner has one more hard-court assignment left. Being the top seed, Alcaraz has received a first-round bye at the Miami Open and will play his second round on Friday, March 20. His second-round clash could already be a blockbuster, as he can potentially face the 19-year-old Brazilian sensation Joao Fonseca in the round of 64.